A slightly belated round-up of last week's Selesian action:


===========================
TENNIS MASTERS CUP SHANGHAI
(Shanghai, China; indoor Taraflex; ATP Year-End Championship)
===========================
Photos
------

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=santoro
(I have added the best two to Photos > Men > Fabrice Santoro)

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/MS_GINS/source/home/home.aspx?pg=1
(search for "santoro")

http://www.masters-cup.com/en/players/photogallery/

-----------------------
Round robin: Gold Group
-----------------------

- FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA [6] lt.
WAYNE BLACK/KEVIN ULLYETT [3], 3-6 6-3 6-4

+ FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA [6] d.
JONAS BJÖRKMAN/MAX MIRNYI [2], 7-6 (7/3) 6-4

+ FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA [6] d.
STEPHEN HUSS/WESLEY MOODIE [8], 6-4 4-1 retired (Huss right knee)

----------
Semi-final
----------

+ FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA [6] d.
BOB BRYAN/MIKE BRYAN [1], 6-3 7-6 (9/7)

-----
Final
-----

+ FABRICE SANTORO/MICHAEL LLODRA [6] d.
LEANDER PAES/NENAD ZIMONJIC [8], 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 7-6 (7/4)


From http://www.masters-cup.com/en/news/2005/final_doubles.asp
>>>
DOUBLES FINAL REVIEW November 20, 2005

Llodra-Santoro Claim Masters Cup Crown

French duo Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro captured the 2005
Tennis Masters Cup Doubles title after a dramatic three-set victory
over Leander Paes and Nenad Zimonjic at the Qi Zhong Stadium in
Shanghai.

In what was their last tournament together, Llodra and Santoro
recovered from a set down to defeat the No. 5 seeds 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6
(4) in 2 hours, 36 minutes and claim their first year-end
championship.

Llodra and Santoro, who lost to Bob and Mike Bryan in the 2003
Tennis Masters Cup final in Houston, became the first all-French
winners of the year-end Championships. Guy Forget teamed with Jakob
Hlasek to win the ATP Tour World Championship in 1990.

It was the fourth title of the year for the French duo, who also won
the ATP Masters Series tournament in Rome as well as on home soil in
Metz and Lyon indoors.

Llodra-Santoro finished second in the Gold Group after defeating
Jonas Bjorkman-Max Mirnyi and Stephen Huss-Wesley Moodie. In the
semifinals, they ended the two-year Tennis Masters Cup reign of top
seeds and World No. 1 doubles pairing Bob and Mike Bryan.

Paes and Zimonjic, who were appearing in their first Tennis Masters
Cup as a team, also were playing in their final match as a pair
before Zimonjic goes on to team with Santoro in 2006.

Paes was playing in his fourth year-end Championship final - the
previous three with countryman Mahesh Bhupathi - and was looking for
his first title in the elite eight-team tournament.

Paes and Zimonjic were looking for their third title this year
having won in Barcelona and Masters Series Monte-Carlo. They
finished second in the Red Group before reaching the final with a
straight sets victory over third seeds Wayne Black and Kevin
Ullyett.

With Llodra concentrating on singles in 2006, Santoro and Zimonjic
will pair together while Paes will play with Martin Damm of the
Czech Republic.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:
Llodra: "We are very happy to finish like that. Now it's a new - not
new life, but new - he's going to play with Nenad next year, and I'm
going to focus more on my singles. It's going to change. Next year,
it's going to change some for me a lot because normally I play with
Fabrice, and next year I'm going to play with someone else."

On the doubles changes: "We heard last year we're going to change
the score system. Is going to be new for everyone. First, I think
it's important we have to play two sets, straight sets. I'm not
support maybe the no ad, but I like the super tiebreak, the third
set super tiebreak. I think it's a good idea to promote - not to
promote, but to change the format. I would say it's good. We have to
try, and we'll see at the end of the next year what's going on. But
we have to try to change something.

Santoro: "The attention we had during the whole week for doubles is
great. The atmosphere on the court for the final today was just
unbelievable. When people are enjoying a match, it doesn't matter if
it's a singles or for doubles. You can see in the crowd during your
match that they are happy to be there and they are enjoying the
match like we did on the court."

On the doubles changes: "The new scoring system is not made to kill
the game. It's the opposite. It's made to improve the game. I think
the scoring system will stay the same in the Grand Slam, probably in
the Masters Cup next year. But in older events, it's better to play
shorter matches, to get the attention of the singles player, and to
push maybe the singles players to play more doubles. If at the end
more singles players play doubles, it will be better for the game,
better for dubs, better for the tournament and the crowd."

Zimonjic: "When you look at the whole week, it was a great
experience being in China and the Tennis Masters Cup. I thought we
played really good tennis. I thought it was disappointing that in
both matches we lost, we had chances to win. It's a great tournament
and a nice way to end the season.

"We played well, we got early breaks in both sets, then lost Lea's
serve. We didn't capitalize on the breaks. In the second tie
breaker, we almost had a chance to win at 4-5.

"I thought the turning point of the game was in the second set when
we lost Leander's serve and the tie-breaker is always a matter of 1
or 2 points."
<<<
(follow the above link if you're interested in pre-final reports)


===================
ITF WOMEN'S CIRCUIT (Pruhonice, Czech Republic; hard; ITF $25k)
===================

Lucie Hradecká:
1r + Nikola Fran'ková, 4-6 7-5 6-3
2r + SANDRA KLEINOVÁ [7], 4-6 6-1 7-5
qf + MICHAELA PAŠTIKOVÁ [3], 6-3 6-4
sf + Kristina Barrois, 3-6 7-5 6-4
f + Agnieszka Radwanska, 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10/8)

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html